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Colorado Rockies: A possible trade for Christian Yelich?

By Olivia Greene |
MIAMI, FL - JULY 31: Christian Yelich
MIAMI, FL - JULY 31: Christian Yelich
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After ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick talked with Christian Yelich‘s agent, Joe Longo, it’s clear that the Marlins may be looking to trade Yelich. What would be a great destination for him you ask. How about Colorado? It’s obvious that the Marlins are about to go into a rebuilding era, so the Rockies taking Christian Yelich off of Derek Jeter‘s hands may be a good thing.

Who would the Rockies trade for?

You may be wondering who could the Rockies trade to get Christian Yelich. Ian Desmond would be the prime candidate from the major league roster. Along with the fact that Ian Desmond is a good utility man that can play anywhere, this could come in handy for the Marlins.

For the Rockies trading Desmond would open up the payroll a bit and maybe allow them to go after a 1st baseman. Desmond, 32, was signed in 2016 to a 5 yrs/$70 million contract. Yelich on the other hand signed a contract back in 2015 for 7 yrs/$49.57 million. This would be considerably less than Desmond as well as the Rockies will be getting more years out of Yelich who is only 26. The Marlins could even use Desmond as a trade chip before the season or before the trade deadline.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 27: Ian Desmond. Getty Images.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 27: Ian Desmond. Getty Images. /

However, with Desmond, if he were to even be in a deal, the Rockies would have to include some prospects. They would probably have to include three or four of them since the Marlins, if they were to take on all of Desmond’s contract. In addition, they’d be giving up Yelich, who is a very good talent and a team friendly contract through 2021 (and a team option for $15 million in 2022).

Two of them would probably have to be in the Rockies top ten prospects and, perhaps, two of the top five. According to Peter Gammons of The Athletic and MLB Network, the Marlins asked the Braves for prospect Ronald Acuna (h/t CBS Sports), who MLB.com ranked as the sixth best prospect in all of baseball. The man right behind him at number seven is Rockies prospect Brendan Rodgers so the Marlins will probably ask for him, but that doesn’t mean the Marlins would get Rodgers.

Do the Rockies need Christian Yelich?

There isn’t a definite yes or no on with this question. If the Rockies were to go through with a this trade scenario, it does open a door: the possibility of signing a free agent for 1st base or even going after another pitcher, whether that being a starter or reliever.

With Yelich, you’ll be getting solid hitting. He’s more of a contact guy than a power threat. He put up 170 hits last season along with 81 RBIs in over 600 plate appearances. The altitude in Colorado may help with bringing up his stats. Along with that Yelich would fit right in with the young core that the Rockies have going as he just turned 26 in December.

LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 18: Christian Yelich #21 of the Miami Marlins celebrates his solo homerun to trail 4-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at Dodger Stadium on May 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 18: Christian Yelich #21 of the Miami Marlins celebrates his solo homerun to trail 4-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at Dodger Stadium on May 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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Does this trade benefit both the Rockies and Marlins?

Reviewing the previous questions and what’s going on in Miami, it would seem as this would benefit both teams. The Rockies would be able to open their payroll up for the possibility of signing another free agent or extending contracts with Nolan Arenado or Charlie Blackmon.

The Marlins, on the other hand, would be able to completely devote the team into a rebuilding era. After a quote from Christian Yelich’s agent, Joe Longo of Paragon Sports International, stating that the Yelich’s relationship with the Marlins is “irretrievably broken”, it’s a sign of the times.

The Marlins getting Ian Desmond also wouldn’t be a bad thing, when not injured Desmond does put up good numbers. Despite only playing in 95 games last season with over 300 plate appearances, he had a batting average of .274 and an on base percentage of .326.In addition, they could even trade Desmond, if they want to continue on their track of shedding payroll.

The prospects could also prove to be very good major league players down the line when the Marlins plan on competing in the National League.

What to make of this trade possibility

Since the Marlins have traded off Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon, and Marcell Ozuna (basically everyone you know besides J.T. Realmuto and Justin Bour), they have a lot of space on the payroll to take on Ian Desmond’s outrageous salary.

The Rockies gaining Christian Yelich will also open many doors and could be the possible push they need in order to go further into the playoffs. This would answer some of the Rockies offseason questions as well.

Thus, the last thing the Rockies would have to check off their list is deciding on a 1st baseman. This trade possibility is starting to sound like a good one for both teams. Plus, if the Rockies were to just trade prospects to the Marlins, the Rockies could even use Desmond at first base, as they originally intended to when they signed him before the 2017 season.

Next: Would trading Ian Desmond to the Yankees be a good idea?

As the Marlins look to rebuild and the Rockies look to contend, this trade may be one of the final pieces to the puzzle that is the Rockies offseason.

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